Take a moment to let yourself settle.
You don't have to get anything perfect and you don't have to force anything,
Just arrive as you are.
Let your body find a comfortable position,
Let your shoulders drop a little and your jaw loosen.
And allow your breath to slow down without your needing to control it,
Just inhale gently and exhale softly.
And as your breath begins to settle,
Imagine a soft warm tide of calm slowly approaching you.
It isn't rushing,
It isn't demanding,
It's simply moving towards you like a gentle wave rolling across a quiet shoreline at dusk.
And with your next breath allow that warm tide to wash over your feet.
And you can sense the warmth settling and you feel your feet softening,
Letting go of the day,
Letting go of the tension they've carried throughout the week.
Take another breath in and let that calming tide travel up to your ankles and your calves.
These parts of your body that hold you up move you around and constantly work without ever asking for thanks.
Let them loosen now,
Let them rest.
And feel the tide rising slowly to your knees now and to your thighs,
Wrapping them in a steady grounding warmth.
The kind of warmth that makes your whole system say,
Alright,
Yes,
I can settle now.
And this calmness moves gently up to your hips and lower belly,
And as it does you might notice your breath widening,
Just deepening on its own.
Because your body knows how to relax,
It remembers,
You're just giving it permission now.
Allow the warm tide to reach your stomach and lower ribs.
If you've been carrying any stress,
Frustration or heaviness here,
Imagine it softening,
Loosening and just becoming less sharp.
Everything is allowed to relax here,
Nothing needs fixing,
Just softening.
The tide of calm rises through your chest now,
Steady and warm.
Notice the way your breath moves in your chest,
Not forced,
Not dramatic,
Just natural.
Almost like the sea breathing slowly against the shore.
Inhale,
Exhale,
Rocking gently with the rhythm of your own life.
Let the warmth flow into your shoulders,
Melting any tightness.
Imagine gravity taking over,
Letting each shoulder fall a little heavier,
A little freer.
Your arms follow naturally,
Your upper arms to your elbows to your forearms,
All the way to your hands and fingertips.
Let them become heavy and warm.
Once again,
Bring your awareness back to your breath for a moment.
Feel the whole front of your body breathing.
Feel your back supported.
Feel the weight of your body sinking into whatever's holding you.
And imagine just gently that beneath you is a steady ancient presence.
It might feel like earth or warm sand or solid rock.
Something dependable,
Something that isn't going anywhere.
Picture thin streams of warmth or light moving from your body downwards into that steady ground,
Not draining you,
Just anchoring you,
Like roots finding their place.
And with every exhale,
Let those roots grow a little deeper,
A little steadier,
A little calmer.
And feel how supported you really are,
How held you are,
How grounded you can be simply by allowing this connection.
Take a slow breath in through your nose and hold it softly at the top.
And let it go with a long,
Easy sigh.
Imagine now that the ground beneath you sends a gentle pulse of steadiness back up through those roots,
A calm,
Reassuring energy that rises slowly through your legs,
To your hips,
To your belly,
To your chest,
All the way up to your collarbones and your throat.
And let it move into your face.
And as this energy moves upwards,
Allow it to soften your jaw,
Your cheeks,
Your eyes.
Let your forehead loosen,
Smoothing out the noise and clutter of the day.
And as that calm reaches the very top of your head,
Imagine a small,
Warm glow settling there,
Like a gentle beacon of clarity.
And finally,
Take another slow breath in through your nose,
And an exhale through your mouth.
You are grounded this evening,
You are safe this evening,
And you are supported this evening.
And you can return to this feeling any time you choose.
And when you're ready,
There's no rush.
Imagine that warm tide settling around you in a soft,
Protective layer,
Keeping you grounded for the rest of the night.
Allow yourself to rest well this evening,
My friend.
Until next time.
